Do-it-yourself assembly construction pieces

ABSTRACT

A do-it-yourself assembly construction piece has a body having a thickness and preferably made of metal and at least one connecting portion having a thickness half the thickness of the body and extending from the body at a corresponding edge of the body. The connecting portion has a through hole and a convex distal edge. The body has a concave face formed concentric with the through hole in the connecting portion to mate with the concave distal edge on an adjacent assembly construction piece to allow the two adjacent assembly construction pieces to pivot. When two connecting portions of two adjacent assembly construction pieces overlap, the through holes align and the two adjacent assembly construction pieces are connected by fasteners through the through holes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a do-it-yourself assembly constructionpiece, and more particularly to an assembly construction piece that canbe selectively combined to build various objects.

2. Description of Related Art

Do-it-yourself (DIY) assemblies in accordance with the prior art usuallyhave a specific configuration, and the pieces for a specific assemblycannot be used to build other objects. For example, a shelf assembly iscomposed of multiple long straight rods with multiple threaded holes andis assembled by screwing screws into the threaded holes to combine therods together. Therefore, angles between two rods and configuration ofthe shelf assembly are constant and cannot be changed. When the shelfassembly is not used, the rods are virtually impossible to form otherassemblies.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate or obviate thedisadvantages of conventional DIY modules.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The main objective of the present invention is to provide do-it-yourselfassembly construction pieces that can be selectively combined to formvarious objects.

Further benefits and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent after a careful reading of the detailed description withappropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1F are perspective views of a first group of do-it-yourselfassembly construction pieces in accordance with the present invention,wherein the pieces are linear pieces;

FIGS. 2A-2C are perspective views of a second group of do-it-yourselfassembly construction pieces in accordance with the present invention,wherein the pieces are outside corner pieces;

FIGS. 3A-3B are perspective views of a third group of do-it-yourselfassembly construction pieces in accordance with the present invention,wherein the pieces are acute inside corner pieces;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of onedo-it-yourself assembly construction piece in accordance with thepresent invention, wherein the piece is a complementary linear piece;

FIGS. 5A-5B are perspective views of a fifth group of do-it-yourselfassembly construction pieces in accordance with the present invention,wherein the pieces are right angle sleeves;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a sixth embodiment of one do-it-yourselfassembly construction piece in accordance with the present invention,wherein the piece is a linear 90° degree connector;

FIGS. 7A-7B are perspective views of a seventh group of do-it-yourselfassembly construction pieces in accordance with the present invention,wherein the pieces are single plane multiple point connecting pieces;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an eighth embodiment of onedo-it-yourself assembly construction piece in accordance with thepresent invention, wherein the piece is an adjustable connector;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a ninth embodiment of one do-it-yourselfassembly construction piece in accordance with the present invention,wherein the piece is a pivoting connector;

FIGS. 10A-10B are perspective views of a tenth group of do-it-yourselfassembly construction pieces in accordance with the present invention,wherein the pieces are orthogonal corner pieces;

FIGS. 11A-11B are perspective views of an eleventh group ofdo-it-yourself assembly construction pieces in accordance with thepresent invention, wherein the pieces are acute three axis cornerpieces;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a twelfth embodiment of onedo-it-yourself assembly construction piece in accordance with thepresent invention, wherein the piece is an offset linear piece;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a thirteenth embodiment of onedo-it-yourself assembly construction piece in accordance with thepresent invention, wherein the piece is a flat curved corner piece;

FIG. 14 is an operational perspective view of a first assembly composedof the do-it-yourself assembly construction pieces, wherein the assemblyis a chair;

FIG. 15 is an operational perspective view of a second assembly composedof the do-it-yourself assembly construction pieces, wherein the assemblyis a stool;

FIG. 16 is an operational perspective view of a third assembly composedof the do-it-yourself assembly construction pieces, wherein the assemblyis a shelf frame;

FIG. 17 is an operational perspective view of a fourth assembly composedof the do-it-yourself assembly construction pieces, wherein the assemblyis a bike-rack; and

FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view of a do-it-yourself assemblyconstruction piece with an anti-rotation device in accordance with thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A Do-it-yourself assembly construction piece in accordance with thepresent invention comprises a body and at least one connecting portionon the body. The body and at least one connecting portion are madepreferably of metal. The body has a thickness, multiple edges andmultiple surfaces. The at least one connecting portion extends from thebody at the edges of the body. Each connecting portion has a thickness,a through hole and a convex distal edge. The thickness of eachconnecting portion is half the thickness of the body. The body has aconcave edge formed concentrically with the through hole in eachconnecting portion to mate with the concave distal edge on an adjacentassembly construction piece. When two connecting portions of twoadjacent assembly construction pieces overlap, the through holes align,and the two adjacent assembly construction pieces are connected byfasteners mounted through the through holes.

Multiple groups and embodiments of the do-it-yourself assemblyconstruction pieces are used to form various assemblies, some of whichare illustrated in the drawings.

With reference to FIGS. 1A to 1F, a first group of the do-it-yourselfassembly construction pieces are linear pieces of various lengths. Eachassembly construction piece has a straight body (10 a-10 f) and twoconnecting portions (12). Each straight body (10 a-10 f) has two ends(not numbered). The connecting portions (12) are formed respectively onthe two ends of the straight body (10 a-10 f). Each connecting portion(12) has a through hole (122) and a convex distal edge (124). Thethrough hole (122) is defined through the connecting portion (12). Eachbody (10 a-10 f) has a concave edge (14) formed to correspond to theconcave distal edge (124) on an adjacent assembly construction piece.

With reference to FIGS. 2A to 2C, a second group of the do-it-yourselfassembly construction pieces has multiple outside corner pieces withdifferent lengths. Each outside corner piece has a bent longitudinalbody (20 a-20 c) and two connecting portions (22). Each body (20 a-20 c)has two ends (not numbered), an inner side (not numbered), an outer side(not numbered) and two concave edges (24). The concave edges (24) areformed respectively on the two ends of the body (20 a-20 c). Theconnecting portions (22) are formed respectively at the two ends on theouter side. Each connecting portion (22) has a through hole (222) and aconvex distal edge (224). The through hole (222) is formed through theconnecting portion (22) concentric with the concave edges (24) of thebody (20 a-20 c). The convex distal edge (224) is concentric with thethrough hole (222) and corresponds to the concave edge of an adjacentconnecting portion. With reference to FIG. 2C, the bent longitudinalbody (20 c) is bent 90° and is a preferred corner piece.

With reference to FIGS. 3A to 3B, a third group of the do-it-yourselfassembly construction pieces has multiple inside corner pieces. Eachinside corner piece has a bent longitudinal body (30 a, 30 b) and twoconnecting portions (32). Each bent longitudinal body (30 a, 30 b) hastwo ends (not numbered), an inner side (not numbered), an outer side(not numbered) and two concave edges (34). The concave edges (34) areformed respectively on the two ends of the body (30 a, 30 b). Theconnecting portions (32) are formed respectively at the two ends on theinner side. Each connecting portion (32) has a through hole (322) and aconvex distal edge (324). The through hole (322) is formed through theconnecting portion (32) concentric with the concave edges (34) of thebody (30 a, 30 b). The convex distal edge (324) is concentric with thethrough hole (322) and corresponds to the concave edge of an adjacentconnecting portion. With reference to FIG. 3B, the bent longitudinalbody (30 b) is bent 90° and is a preferred corner piece.

With reference to FIG. 4, a fourth embodiment of the do-it-yourselfassembly construction piece is a complementary linear piece and has astraight body (40) and two connecting portions (42). The straight body(40) has two ends and two sides, and the connecting portions (42) areformed respectively on opposite sides of the straight body (40) fromeach other.

With reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B, a fifth group of the do-it-yourselfassembly construction pieces has multiple right angle sleeve pieces.Each right angle sleeve piece has a body (50 a, 50 b), one connectingportion (52) and a hexahedron sleeve (56). The body (50 a, 50 b) has twoends. The connecting portion (52) is formed at one end, and thehexahedron sleeve (56) is formed at the other end of the body (50 a, 50b). Each connecting portion (52) is half of the body (50 a, 50 b) inthickness and has a through hole (522) defined in the connecting portion(52) and a convex distal edge (524) (524 is not shown in the drawings).Each body (50 a, 50 b) has a concave face (54) (54 is not shown in thedrawings) formed concentric with the through hole (522) in theconnecting portion (52) at a joint with the connecting portion (52) tomate with the concave distal edge on an adjacent assembly constructionpiece. The hexahedron sleeve (56) has a top (not numbered), a bottom(not numbered), a front (not numbered), a rear (not numbered) and twosides (not numbered), a rod hole (562) and an optional bolt hole (564)(in the drawing, 564 is not a bolt hole but a through hole) and isconnected to the body (50 a, 50 b) at one sidebolt hole. The rod hole(562) is rectangular and is defined through the hexahedron sleeve (56)from the front to the rear so that a rod (not shown) can be hold throughthe rod hole (562). Additionally, the bolt hole (564) is defined throughthe hexahedron sleeve (56) from the top to the bottom to communicatewith the rod hole (562) and aligns with a securing hole (not shown) inthe rod. Thereby, the sleeve piece can be positioned on the rod byinserting a long screw (not shown) through the bolt hole (564) and therod hole (562).

With reference to FIG. 6, a sixth embodiment of the do-it-yourselfassembly construction piece is a 90° linear connector that has a twistedbody (60) and two connecting portions (62). The twisted body (60) hastwo ends (not numbered) and a middle portion twisted to 90° to orientthe through holes (not numbered) in the two connecting portions (62) atright angles to each other.

With reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B, a seventh group of the do-it-yourselfassembly construction pieces has multiple single plane multiple pointconnecting pieces. Each single plane multiple point connecting piece hasa rectangular body (70 a, 70 b) with four ends and at least threeconnecting portions (72) formed on the rectangular body (70 a, 70 b).One of the single plane multiple point connecting pieces has threeconnecting portions (72) formed respectively at three ends of the body(70 a). Another one of the single plane multiple point connecting pieceshas four connecting portions (72) formed respectively at four ends ofthe body (70 b).

With reference to FIG. 8, an eighth embodiment of the do-it-yourselfassembly construction piece is an adjustable connecting piece and has astraight body (80), one connecting portion (82) and an elongated hole(88). The straight body (80) has two ends. The connecting portion (82)is formed at one end of the body (80), and the elongated hole (88) isdefined through the body (80) near the other end, is countersunk and hasa bore diameter (not numbered). The bore diameter of the elongated hole(88) is the same as the through hole (822) in the connecting portion(82). A fastener slidably passes through the elongated hole (88) toconnect the adjustable connecting piece to an adjacent connecting piece.

With reference to FIG. 9, a ninth embodiment of the do-it-yourselfassembly construction piece is a pivoting connecting piece that has twobodies (90) and two connecting portions (92). Each body (90) has twoends (not numbered). Two of the ends are connected pivotally to eachother. A connecting portion (92) is formed at the other end of each body(90).

With reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B, a tenth group of the do-it-yourselfassembly construction pieces has multiple orthogonal corner pieces. Eachorthogonal corner piece has an L-shaped body (100 a, 100 b) and at leastthree connecting portions (102). The L-shaped body (100 a, 100 b) hasmultiple ends (not numbered), and the connecting portions (102) areformed respectively on the ends of the L-shaped body (100 a, 100 b). Oneof the orthogonal corner pieces has three connecting portions (102)formed respectively on ends of the body (100 a) such that adjacentconnecting portions (102) for three perpendicular planes. Another one ofthe orthogonal connecting pieces has four connecting portions (102) areformed respectively on and extending respectively from ends of the body(100 b).

With reference to FIGS. 11A and 11B, an eleventh group of thedo-it-yourself assembly construction pieces has multiple acutethree-axis corner pieces with flat abutting faces. The acute three-axiscorner pieces are similar respectively to the orthogonal corner pieceshaving an L-shaped body (110 a, 110 b) and multiple connecting portions(112) but further have a flat abutting face (114) formed at an includedangle on the L-shaped body. One of the three-axis corner pieces hasthree connecting portions (112) formed respectively on and extendingfrom corresponding ends of the body (110 a). Another one of thethree-axis corner pieces has four connecting portions (112) formedrespectively on and extending from ends of the body (110 b).

With reference to FIG. 12, a twelfth embodiment of the do-it-yourselfassembly construction piece is an offset linear piece that has a longbody (120) and two connecting portions (not numbered). The long body(120) has two ends (not numbered) that are bent in different directionsand are parallel to each other.

With reference to FIG. 13, a thirteenth embodiment of the do-it-yourselfassembly construction piece is a flat curved corner piece that has acurved body (not numbered) and two connecting portions (not numbered).The curved body is curved transversely and subtends an arc of 60°, 90°,120° or any number of degrees evenly divisible into 360°.

When the assembly construction pieces are assembled, two connectingportions of adjacent assembly construction pieces overlap to align thethrough holes. Then, a fastener is passed through and secured in thethrough holes. Preferably, the fastener is composed of a flat-head rodand a sleeve nut. The concave face on the body of one assemblyconstruction piece mates with the convex distal edge of an adjacentassembly construction piece to make the adjacent assembly constructionpieces adjustable in angle and in position. Therefore, the assembledobjects have more variety.

With reference to FIGS. 14 to 17, numerous objects can be constructedusing multiple assembly construction pieces. Examples of objectsconstructed from the assembly construction pieces include a chair, astool, a shelf frame and a bike-rack.

With reference to FIG. 18, any of the assembly construction pieces canbe implemented with an anti-rotation device (180) comprising a toothedthrough hole (184), a flat-head bolt (187) and a sleeve nut (186). Thetoothed through hole (184) is formed by forming teeth on an innersurface of the through hole in the connecting portion (182). The sleevenut (186) has a toothed outer surface (188) corresponding to andengaging the toothed through holes (184) on adjacent assemblyconstruction pieces. The flat-head bolt (187) screws into the sleeve nut(186) to hold the sleeve nut (186) in the toothed through holes (184)and keep the adjacent assembly construction pieces from rotating.

The do-it-yourself assembly construction pieces as described can be usedto make various objects limited only by a user's imagination.Furthermore, the assembly construction pieces can be detached and reusedagain to construct other objects.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferredembodiment, many other possible modifications and variations can be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention ashereinafter claimed.

1. A do-it-yourself assembly construction piece comprising: a body withmultiple ends and a thickness; and at least one connecting portionextending respectively from ends of the body, wherein, each one of theat least one connecting portion has a through hole, a convex distal edgeand a thickness half the thickness of the body; and the body has aconcave face formed concentric with the through hole in each one of theat least one connecting portion to mate with a corresponding convexdistal edge on an adjacent assembly construction piece.
 2. Thedo-it-yourself assembly construction piece as claimed in claim 1,wherein the body is a straight body (10 a-10 f) with two ends and twoconnecting portions (12) are formed respectively on the two ends of thestraight body (10 a-10 f).
 3. The do-it-yourself assembly constructionpiece as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body is a bent longitudinalbody (20 a-20 c) with two ends, an inner side and an outer side; and twoconnecting portions (22) are respectively formed at the two ends on theouter side.
 4. The do-it-yourself assembly construction piece as claimedin claim 1, wherein the body is a bent longitudinal body (30 a, 30 b)with two ends, an inner side, and an outer side; and two connectingportions (32) are respectively formed at the two ends on the inner side.5. The do-it-yourself assembly construction piece as claimed in claim 1,wherein the body is a straight body (40) with two ends and two sides;two connecting portions (42) formed respectively on opposite sides ofthe straight body (40).
 6. The do-it-yourself assembly constructionpiece as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body (50 a, 50 b) has two ends;one connecting portion (52) is formed at one end; a hexahedron sleeve(56) is formed at the other end of the body (50), wherein eachhexahedron sleeve (56) has a top, a bottom, a front, a rear, two sidesand a rod hole (562) defined through the hexahedron sleeve (56) from thefront to the rear.
 7. The do-it-yourself assembly construction piece asclaimed in claim 6, wherein a bolt hole (564) is defined through thehexahedron sleeve (56) from the top to the bottom to communicate withthe rod hole (562).
 8. The do-it-yourself assembly construction piece asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the body is a twisted body (60) with twoends; and two connecting portions (62) formed respectively on the twoends; wherein, the twisted body (60) has a middle portion twisted to90°.
 9. The do-it-yourself assembly construction piece as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the body is a rectangular body (70 a, 70 b) with fourends; and at least three connecting portions (72) formed on therectangular body (70 a, 70 b).
 10. The do-it-yourself assemblyconstruction piece as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body is a straightbody (80) with two ends; one connecting portion (82) is formed at oneend of the straight body (80); and an elongated hole (88) is defined onthe straight body (80) near the other end of the straight body (80), iscountersunk and has a bore diameter the same as the through hole of theconnecting portion (82).
 11. The do-it-yourself assembly constructionpiece as claimed in claim 1, wherein the assembly construction piece hasan L-shaped body (100 a, 100 b) with multiple ends; and at least threeconnecting portions (102) formed respectively on the ends of theL-shaped body (100 a, 100 b).
 12. The do-it-yourself assemblyconstruction piece as claimed in claim 11, wherein the L-shaped bodyfurther has a flat abutting face (114) formed at an included angle onthe L-shaped body.
 13. The do-it-yourself assembly construction piece asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the assembly construction piece has a longbody (120) with two ends that are bent in different directions and areparallel to each other.
 14. The do-it-yourself assembly constructionpiece as claimed in claim 1, wherein the assembly construction piece hasa curved body that is curved transversely and subtends an arc of anynumber of degrees evenly divisible into 360°.
 15. The do-it-yourselfassembly construction piece as claimed in claim 1, wherein the throughhole on each one of the connecting portion has an inner toothed surface.16. A do-it-yourself assembly construction piece comprising: two bodies(90), wherein each body (90) has a thickness and two ends, and one endof one body is pivotally connected to an end of the other body; and oneconnecting portion (92) is formed on the other end of each body and hasa through hole and a convex distal edge, wherein each connecting portion(92) has a thickness half the thickness of the body (90); wherein, eachbody (90) has a concave face formed concentric with the through hole inthe connecting portion to mate with the concave distal edge on anadjacent assembly construction piece.